Giants face herculean task against almost mythical Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) pumps his fists and yells "Let's Go" to the fans after hitting the field and running down the sidelines into the far end zone during warm-ups before taking on the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) Credit: TNS/Dirk Shadd
So, just how good is Tom Brady? Jason Garrett may have said it best.
"They're gonna make a Mount Rushmore of football players at some point, and the first face they chisel will be that guy's face," the Giants’ offensive coordinator said Thursday. "He's the best that ever walked."
No argument there.
The legendary NFL quarterback has accomplished more – way more – than any other player in history, winning seven Super Bowl titles, getting the Patriots to three more and shattering virtually every meaningful record there is.
"What he’s done over the last 20 years has been remarkable," Garrett said. "To think he’s 44 years old and probably playing the best ball of his career, it’s really amazing. He’s an inspiration to everybody, in and out of sport."
Welcome to your opponent on Monday Night Football in Tampa.
The Giants face the greatest player of all time in circumstances that could hardly be called the greatest for the Giants. Coming off their bye week, the 3-6 Giants are desperately clinging to hope for a playoff run over the next two months, but beating Brady and the defending Super Bowl champions on the road in prime time is about as heavy a lift as there is. Throw in the fact that Brady, who is coming off back-to-back losses against the Saints and Washington Football Team, has lost three games in a row just once in his career, and the deck sure seems stacked against the Giants.
"Listen, I was around him for seven years, and I don’t know anybody that’s more competitive or more serious about the game," Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. "I mean, if they won (against WFT) by 20 touchdowns or they lost, it doesn’t matter. (Brady) is playing the New York Giants on Monday night, and that’s where his focus is, and it’s laser focus."
Graham may have the most difficult job of anyone in the Giants’ organization for this game. He’s facing the smartest player the game has ever seen, and with Brady ready to will his teammates to victory after two straight losses, rest assured the quarterback will be on point in leading the Tampa Bay offense. It’s up to Graham to match wits against a player who couldn’t be more motivated in this circumstance, especially on the Monday night stage.
Graham knows Brady’s competitiveness all too well – whether he’s on the quarterback’s side or against him. Graham was a Patriots’ defensive assistant under Bill Belichick from 2009-15 and saw Brady’s brilliance every day.
"I’ve been on the other end of it in practice, when he might have gone like 27-of-28, and you haven’t come close to touching the ball and the only incompletion was a dropped pass," he said.
Safety Logan Ryan got a taste of Brady’s competitiveness as a Patriots rookie in 2013.
"It was my rookie year, and I was getting drafted to the New England Patriots, which was like getting drafted to the Chicago Bulls (during Michael Jordan’s career)," Ryan said. "It’s just (offseason practice), and Bill (Belichick) doesn’t even put numbers on guys, just blue or gray t-shirts. I was with the (first-string defense), a receiver slipped on a curl route, and I pick-6’d him."
Ryan will never forget Brady’s reaction.
"He takes his helmet off and breaks it on the ground," Ryan said. "He’s just competitive in everything he does. That’s why he is who he is."
It will be the ultimate test for a defense that has finally gotten its collective act together after a mediocre start. The Giants have won two of their last three games largely on the merits of their improved defense, and they could have easily won three in a row had they not been penalized on a late interception by Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
"Tom does a great job of getting the ball out to the skill players," Graham said. "I think that’s probably one of the best characteristics about Tom, how quickly he gets the ball out, recognizing matchups, so it’s tough."
Despite the odds, Ryan likes his team’s chances. This from the guy who intercepted Brady’s final pass in a Patriots uniform in the 2019 playoffs, when Ryan was with the Titans.
"When we play well, we can compete with anybody," Ryan said. "That’s just how we play. (Brady’s) resume is impressive, and I think it’s the greatest challenge in football playing him. I love to play a chess match against him, and that’s why I’m here – to help us have a good chess game."
Ryan can only hope it’s not checkmate in Brady’s favor on Monday night.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
